Day 5 – Thimphu to the Dochu La

Our task master, sirhar, expedition guide and mt biker extraordinaire, otherwise known as Helen, had us up and out early. As I recall, it was not so much because we had a very very long ride, but because we had some touring to do in the afternoon, all of which reminds me that I had better make some additional comments about the afternoon in Thimphu the day before, that is Day 4.

So, yesterday, the 17th, after having arrived in Thimphu in the mid-afternoon, we cleaned up and then as a group we headed out for some sight seeing and dining and shopping, not all in that order. It was late enough by the time we left the hotel that I could shoot very little. Someone else will have to supply the photos.

What I recall most is the reverence for the king. We were showed the buildings of the National Assembly, and one of his palaces, which while palatial, was no Versailles. We heard the history of his great grandfather’s unification of the country in 1907, and of his own unilateral giving up of the absolute monarchy in favor of a constitutional monarchy to be led by his son, beginning in March. We heard, too, remarkably personal, touching stories of the King’s effects on the life of our own Bhutanese guide. It is clear why they hold him and and his forebears as near deities. His picture is on the wall of every establishment.

His Royal Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck

As we heard these tales, schoolgirls walked by us and smiled and posed for pictures, and giggled innocently.

From there, we drove across the river and visited a couple of shops, one of them a small factory for woven textiles. If I can get my son to pose, I’ll eventually put a picture here of him in a traditional robe made there. And then on to another shop, one which seemed to have Indian as well as Bhutanese items, and probably some from China, Tibet and elsewhere. The proprietary gave unconvincing answers about provenance.

Dinner at a local restaurant may have been the best meal of the entire trip. The chili cheese made me sweat so profusely it made the others laugh, a standard no other purveyor was able to match. The curries and other melanges were tastier than elsewhere. Beer and mixed drinks flowed early, loosening us all up. And we were greeted too, by the head of Etho Metho, the Bhutanese Agency with which KE, our own provider, contracts for ground services in Bhutan. There was some story I didn’t quite get, but the gist of which is that he had held a senior position in govt, probably for tourism, and then left with the King’s blessing to form his own company. Maybe he didn’t have the monopoly, but he did have quite a nice head start. Etho Metho is not the name of a solvent used in fabrication of amphetamines, but instead means rhododendron in the local language.

Now, back to the Dochu La. We had in front of us a 670m ascent to about 3050m, the Dochu La, where we would get spectacular views of Everest and other peaks in her range. From there, we’d descend 1700m to Punakha, site of one of the great dzongs of all of Bhutan. I left last as usual.

Leaving Thimphu

 

 

Roadside Shopping

 

 

Gathering at the Dochu La

 

Chomolungma and Ama Dablam in Nepal

 

Day 4 – Into Thimphu

The road into Thimphu was indeed busy and dusty, not like what we’d seen up to that point.

But there was lots to see, including market stalls like these

or more people building roads

or kids with breathing apparatus

More Terraced Rice Fields

From here we drove into Thimphu.  Here is the Hotel Riverview.

 

I don’t have the pictures from the afternoon, but here are some from early the next morning.

Day 4 – Haa to the Confluence of …

The driveway from the road to the hotel in Haa would have been familiar to anyone who has ridden over sharp cobbles embedded in a steeply pitched matrix of yak dung. I couldn’t ride down the thing without fear of getting a pinch flat, so I didn’t. Again, I was last from the start.

This is excerpted from a message I sent my wife. “Today was longer, but not so hilly. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Clear, cool, a few clouds. We rode along the walls of a canyon above a river for about 50 miles, dropping down to it at the last moment. I had a flat that I didn’t fix properly, so for the last 15 miles I was stopping to pump it up half a dozen times.” All true. The children greeted us as if we were something very rare and unusual.

And the roads scenic

On the first few days John didn’t want to get too far ahead. That didn’t last. Here he is with Sange and Kinsahn.

They build the roads by hand in this country.

 Switchbacks on the Descent to the Confluence

Traditional Homes in the Valley

Trucks Delivering Water to the Families of Road Builders

After many miles, we finally came to the confluence of two major rivers and more roads.  There was a military checkpoint, too, but they seemed uninterested in us.  The bus was waiting with lunch.  Here’s the confluence.

Three Chortens

Painted Trucks

Gorging at the Rest Stop

And a bit more of my e-mail message to my wife. “The final 20miles into Thimpu was over a very busy road under construction, so we rode our little bus back instead. Roads here are barely wider than a single car, so when you are on a bike and a truck goes by, you get squoosed to one side fo the road. There would have been too much of that. We were all happy with the decision.”